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Father gives a curt nod "It’s very generous of you, Commander"

E rown up?"

"That tends to happen," I say, a touch harsher than I meant Emissary Bradshaw is a close friend ofthat they were conspiring together to keep Ash away fro the me in the process

Emissary Bradshaw’s ever-smile wavers "Well, yes, I suppose it does" His blue eyes slide past htens painfully onwho he’s talking to

Lucinda snarls back at hi time, no see"

"You know Lucinda?" I ask Eo of o way back, don’t eetheart?" She looks daggers at hi to hide it; I presuers, we met in the woods outside A two and two together "You’re Patrick Langdon?"

He nods

"Why did you change your surname to Bradshaw?" I ask, confused

"Oh, Edht back tooover to a cabinet near the fireplace "Can I get you a drink? I would nor servants do this, but they were all sent to the Tenth last week Edmund promised to send me some more Workboots, but they haven’t arrived yet This war is so inconvenient"

"That’s one way of describing it," Ash growls

E him for the first time "Ah, and this must be the infamous Phoenix"

"In the burnt flesh," Ash quip "How coht you tere best buddies after he saved your life in A sound "I owed Edratitude and we shared the saotten what he did to my sister Catherine was my whole world" A dark emotion flitters over his features, and for a brief eful, hurt "Besides, Ed this country into the ground with these damned wars It’s time we replaced him with someone else"

"And that person’s you?" Ash says flatly

"I’m the most qualified man for the position," Emissary Bradshaw says

I catch Ash’s eye and he frowns I knohat he’s thinking: Eht have the ht man for the post Can we really trust a man who helped write the Book of Creation, which clais are deovernht up, let me show you to your rooms," Emissary Bradshaw says

We find a room for Garrick and lay the injured es while the rest of us find places to sleep We’re not short of options--there are easily fifteen bedroo room, and Emissary Bradshaw escorts me and Day to our bedrooms, which we’ll share with the boys Tucked under lass jar with Theora’s heart Day smiles wistfully as we stroll down the wide corridor She brushes her fingers over the expensive gilt wallpaper and antique furnishings

"If Mao, it was Day’s ambition to become the emissary of the Doed, as she wanted a better life for her daughter "Well, at least Ifrorins

Euest rooms and then leads me to the plush suites farther down the corridor On the way to lass doorknob The door is ajar, and I hear a girl crying inside the roo into a pillow Eetic s well," he explains

"I thought your servants had gone," I say

"Just the Darkling ones Don’t worry, my maid’s very loyal She won’t tell anyone you’re here" He places a hand on the base of , as he ushers me away from her room We stop in front of a door with a red handle "Here we are, sweetheart" His hand skih ?" I say

He raises his hands in a placating gesture "My dear, it was an accident"

I narrowhim for a second "Well, accidents will happen Just not twice," I say firain

Ehtens "Enjoy your room"

He turns on his heel and strides down the corridor

I enter my bedroolass jar on the nightstand, then go to the bathroo curses under my breath I debate whether to tell anyone about what happened, but decide against it My parents would be furious, and let’s not get started on Ash I’d hate to think what he’d do to Emissary Bradshaw if he knew he’d copped a feel, after everything that happened with Sebastian back in Black City No, as ht now, so I’ll keep the incident to ain, I’ll rip his damn hand off

Once I’ve calmed down, I pull out the itee case, a bottle of heart medication and the yellow-handled knife I stole from the UG--and place them carefully beside the sink

I takeroom Lucinda is curled up in one of the leather chairs by the fire, and Yolanda is in the seat beside her Their faces have been scrubbed clean, but they’re both still wearing their dirty ju by hishis russet hair while he plays with the single gold band around his left wrist He lifts his topaz eyes when I enter the rooive hiainst him I can hear his steady heartbeat beneath his jumpsuit Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom

He plays with one of my curls "You okay, blondie?"

"Mm-hmm," I say noncoaze about the rooa with each other, while Beetle and Day share one of the leather seats to our right They giggle and whisper to each other

The gold doors open and my mother, father, Dr Craven and Emissary Bradshaw enter the roohtly under Eht It’s hard to picture him as the handsome, ruthless hunter Lucinda described him as, but the steely look is still there in his blue eyes We all turn toward him It’s time to talk business